Dyslexia does not spell doom. That's the message a new documentary is sending.

Dislecksia: The Movie highlights success stories of celebrities and business leaders who struggled with dyslexia. The movie also explores what dyslexia is and how students with it can be taught so that they don't fall behind. It will play in theaters across the nation Oct. 17 and beyond for Dyslexia Awareness Month.

Neuroscientists and educators in the movie call for creating teaching skills that can help all students, especially ones with dyslexia. They say dyslexia starts as a learning difference but can become a learning disability.

"All people learn differently," says director Harvey Hubbell V, who has dyslexia. "If you can't read by a certain age, it becomes a disability."

As much as 20% of the U.S. population may have symptoms of dyslexia, which ranges from mild to severe, according to the International Dyslexia Association. It affects people of different backgrounds, according to the not-for-profit organization based in Baltimore.

"Dyslexia has nothing to do with brightness," says Ben Shifrin, a spokesman for the association. "It has to do with the brain's inability to make the connections to read and write."

Adults with dyslexia may try to hide their reading and writing problems, but they can be very good at reading non-verbal behavior, he says.

Children with dyslexia can be highly verbal but may have difficulty remembering directions, he adds.

If parents are concerned that their child may have dyslexia, they should reach out to a local chapter of the association and check the group's website at interdys.org, Shifrin says. He also recommends asking the child's school for an assessment.

Shifrin agrees that dyslexia is a learning difference, not a disability. "Dyslexic students are able to learn," he says. "We have used the word 'disabled' to get services, but it does a disservice to a dyslexic person. Many dyslexic young adults suffer from low self-esteem."

Shifrin, head of Jemicy School in Owings Mills, Md. , says he hopes there will be more multisensory education, which is how students with dyslexia learn. For example, a multisensory lesson on the short vowel A would involve visual, audio and other components, such as playing with apples, he adds. "Dyslexic education is just good education."

In the documentary, Joe Pantoliano, an actor who appeared in the HBO show The Sopranos, talks about having dyslexia. "It's a learning style," says Pantoliano, who also appeared in the sci-fi movie The Matrix. "It's a different way the brain takes information."

Actor Joe Pantoliano talks about his experience with dyslexia in “Dislecksia: The Movie.”(Photo: Captured Time Productions)

Hubbell, who also wrote and directed the comic documentary Electronic Road Film, says he hopes the new movie will get people talking about dyslexia. "We hope that people with dyslexia will know that they are not alone and that they can take the information in the movie to their educators."

The movie suggests ways to make a difference, such as getting involved with local activist groups for people with dyslexia, supporting legislation for education reform, and spreading awareness.

For more information about the movie, such as additional dates for showtimes and theater locations, go to dislecksiathemovie.com.